


In Death's Cradle

by random_writing



Category: Bleach
Genre: Gen, based upon Agatha Christie's And then there were none, because why not, but there will be a lot of character death, i will probably tag things when they show up, that's all i know for now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-03 02:58:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17275826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/random_writing/pseuds/random_writing
Summary: "Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; One chocked his little self and there were Nine."Ten strangers are invited to the isolated island Heishima. Cut off from the mainland by a storm, they await their mysterious host. But while they enjoy the pleasantries of the party, they are each accused of a terrible crime. When one of the guests suddenly dies, they all realize there may be a murderer on the island. A murderer who who might strike again... and again, each death inspired by a line from a poem that hangs in each room.Who is the murderer? And will they be able to flee the island before it's too late?





	In Death's Cradle

_21/July - 1932: An office in Umeda District, Osaka (10.23)_

There was something incredibly wrong with the room someone once had labeled office, the woman had concluded. Perhaps it was the odd green color someone once had carefully painted the walls with. Perhaps it was the worn furniture, with strange stains on the man's desk and scratches in the floor. Or perhaps it was the smell of cheap of cigarettes and the eerie atmosphere that sent shivers down her spine, pulling at her throat and silencing her vocal cords. Something was incredibly wrong, but she couldn't quite place it. 

Ten minutes earlier, the woman had knocked at the office's door and she had been ushered in by the man's secretary; a pale woman with oval glasses and clothes that made her look older than her actual age. Not that the woman herself looked better, with her worn jacket and her stockings that were covered in brown stains, after she accidentally stepped in a puddle right outside Kita-Shinchi Station. She and the man behind the desk had greeted each other and after that they had begun to discuss the matter at hand. 

But that was five minutes ago and now an awkward air of silence hung over the office, a silence that was only interrupted by the heavy down pour outside and the secretary's tapping at her type writer. The silence was so heavy that it might have crushed the three of them just as well as the fragile looking shelves surrounding them, who looked as if though they would break any second due to overflowing with documents, books and binders. 

 

Behind the desk the man breathed heavily and poured up some brandy in a dirty glass, which was then offered to the woman. She shook her head and continued to observe the strange man as he took a sip from the glass. He reminded the woman somehow of a tortoise. A tortoise with a tiny, bald head, a giant shell and a cigarette wedged between it's thin lips. If circumstances had been different she would have laughed, but now her worries held the laugh back. She sighed and finally broke the silence. 

"I'm sorry, Akiyama-san, but I don't understand."

The man, who was named Akiyama Kichirou, rose an eyebrow and sipped from his glass. "What is there not to understand?"

His words were harsh. Filled with venom and mockery, they made the woman incredibly uncomfortable and her shoulders tensed. "The owner of the house, Arai-san?" Akiyama nodded, "has requested me, a student with barely any experience. And no-"

"Don't ask me, she wanted you for the job. She has paid in advance even, quite a hefty sum."

He stubbed his cigarette in the ashtray and glared at his secretary, who then rose up and went up to the cabinet that was placed in the corner of the room. Slowly she unlocked it and started to search for something. Akiyama himself reached down to his desk's lowest drawer, muttering; "Why apply if you don't want the bloody job?"

Just as he came back up with a newly lit cigarette between his lips, an envelope was handed to him by the secretary's shaky hand. "As I said before..."

Akiyama took a drag from his cigarette and continued; "You will travel down to Nagasaki on the third of August to the island of Heishima, which is owned by Arai-san and her husband. On the fifth she will have a couple of guests over. Your job is to serve them food, entertain them-"

"Yes, I understand that. But the problem is that I'm not a very good cook, Akiyama-san."

"That is already taken care of."

"By whom, may I ask?" With a quick glare he told her that it was a dumb question. "And the expenses? Do I have to pay for the train tickets myself?"

"Money and instructions are in the envelope", he gave her a cold smile. "Do you want the job or not?"

The answer was given without much thought and after the ink had dried on the contract, the woman rose up, put on her coat and lifted up her umbrella and purse. She was handed the envelope, let it slide down her coat pocket and muttered a quick "thank you, good bye..." to the man behind the desk. Akiyama nodded and watched as she with quick steps, walked out the door. Once more snubbed his cigarette and looked over at his secretary, who was searching the cabinet just like before. 

"We forgot to give her the other package", she said quietly. 

"There were two packages?" 

The secretary lifted out a square shaped package, a package which Akiyama had assumed was a vinyl belonging to the secretary herself. "Is it from Arai-san?"

"I will just give it to her", she muttered. He gave her a nonchalant wave and returned to the files he had been working on before just as the secretary went out the door. "Wait, Inoue-san!"

Inoue Orihime had almost left the building before the secretary managed to catch up with her. Quickly she turned around and smiled at the other woman. As she lowered her gaze, looking down at the thin, wrapped package, her once very bright smile turned to a concerned frown. "What is that?"

"It arrived with the envelope", the secretary pushed up her glasses and handed it to Orihime, who began to examine it. Just as she was about to open the package, the secretary said, "I believe it is a surprise for the party."

"Better not open it then", she laughed and tucked it under her arm. "Thank you."

No more words were said, only smiles were exchanged. The secretary turned around and walked down the corridor that led up to the cramped office, while Inoue Orihime stepped outside and checked wether it was safe or not from the rain. With a struggle she opened her umbrella and walked with a quick pace away from the building that had caused her so much discomfort. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah...  
> This will be based both on the book (by Agatha Christie) and the BBC miniseries from 2014. Hopefully I will be update soon and then a couple of more characters will be introduced


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